A businessman was fined £900 and ordered to pay costs of £600 and given a 12 month ban for tailgating other road users on the A11, near Norwich

A driver who was 'angry' with other road users, was seen tailgating vehicles on the A11 outside Norwich and making gestures at other drivers, a court heard.

Dinesh Sharma, 51, was driving from his home in Hertfordshire to pick up his daughter, who was at the University of East Anglia, and appeared to be in a hurry, Norwich Crown Court was told.

Guy Ayers, prosecuting, said:'This defendant appeared to be in a hurry and started to tailgate people in the overtaking lane, coming up fast behind them.'

He said that Sharma gestured to the drivers and tried to get them to get out of the way so he could get past, even though they were travelling at the legal maximum.

He said Sharma then undertook one driver, who would not move out of his way and gestured and said words to the motorist as he passed him but then had to swerve and cut up a slow moving vehicle and go back to the outside lane, to avoid a collision.

Mr Ayers said that two drivers phoned police to report Sharma, a businessman, for dangerous driving, which included an off-duty police officer, who took Sharma's registration number.

Sharma of Harpenden, Herts, admitted dangerous driving on March 28 last year and was fined £900 and ordered to pay £600 costs. He was also given a 12 month driving ban and ordered to take an extended driving test before getting back behind the wheel.

Sentencing him, Recorder Rupert Lowe told Sharma: 'You were in a hurry and in a temper. It was dangerous.'

He said: 'It is a serious offence. It was persistent and it was angry and it was plainly dangerous.'

Jude Durr, for Sharma, said that there was no collision or any injury caused by his driving.

He said he was a hard-working businessman, who was driving with his wife as passenger to pick up his daughter, who was a student at UEA.

'His conduct that day was wholly out of character.'